Description

This Easy Fresh Strawberry Sheet Cake is a moist and flavorful dessert made with fresh or frozen strawberries blended into the batter, topped with a silky smooth strawberry cream cheese frosting and garnished with fresh strawberries. Perfect for gatherings or a delightful treat, this sheet cake combines bright strawberry flavor with a tender crumb and creamy frosting.

Ingredients

Scale

Strawberry Sheet Cake

¾ cup vegetable oil (170g)
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted (56g)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
⅓ cup milk (80g)
340g fresh or frozen strawberries (about 1 ½ cup puree)
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (360g)
2 tbsp cornstarch (20g)
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Optional: few drops pink gel food color

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

12oz cream cheese, room temperature (340g)
⅓ cup strawberry jam (80g)
¼ cup granulated sugar (60g)
⅓ cup heavy cream (80g)
Pinch of salt

Assembly & Decoration

Fresh strawberries to taste

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Instructions

Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350F (conventional, no fan) and line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine vegetable oil, melted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix until the batter is smooth, approximately 2 minutes.
Puree Strawberries: Blitz fresh or thawed frozen strawberries in a food processor until you get a puree, leaving some texture if preferred.
Combine Strawberry Puree and Milk: Add the strawberry puree and milk to the wet ingredients and whisk until well combined.
Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Sift together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add this to the wet mixture and gently whisk just until no lumps remain. Avoid overmixing to keep the cake tender.
Add Color (Optional): If desired, add a few drops of pink gel food coloring and gently fold it in evenly.
Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. Test doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Do not overbake.
Cool Cake: Let the cake cool completely at room temperature before frosting.
Prepare Frosting: In a bowl, whisk together room temperature cream cheese, strawberry jam, granulated sugar, heavy cream, and a pinch of salt on medium-low speed until smooth and silky, taking care not to overmix to avoid runniness.
Assemble the Cake: Once cooled, remove the cake from the pan if desired. Spread the strawberry cream cheese frosting evenly over the top.
Decorate: Garnish with fresh, sliced strawberries for presentation.
Serve and Store: Slice and serve the cake at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator to maintain freshness.

Notes

This recipe yields a light layer of cream cheese frosting; increase frosting quantities if you prefer a thicker layer.
If using frozen strawberries, ensure they are fully thawed and drained before pureeing to prevent excess moisture in the batter.
Do not overmix the batter once the dry ingredients are added, as it can lead to a dense cake.
Test the cake's doneness with a toothpick to avoid overbaking, which can dry out the cake.
The cake is best enjoyed at room temperature but stores well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of cake)
Calories: 350 kcal
Sugar: 28 g
Sodium: 280 mg
Fat: 20 g
Saturated Fat: 8 g
Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 38 g
Fiber: 1.5 g
Protein: 4 g
Cholesterol: 60 mg